Forever Memories: A Shooting Star Falls Story
by iKnowLotsOfThings
Summary: The shocking events of June 3rd have cast a dark shadow over the summer in Gravity Falls, Oregon. On the last day of the season, will Dipper be able to celebrate his eighteenth birthday without his twin sister Mabel? Officer Wendy Corduroy has planned a party to try and raise the spirits of her boyfriend, as well as the town.
1. Chapter 1

What Has Been & Shall Never Be Again: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Part One

Nearly three months had passed since the sudden and unexpected losses of Mabel Pines and Pacifica Northwest in a random and senseless act of violence. The lives of many were changed that fateful early summer evening, but none more so than those of Wendy Corduroy and Dipper Pines. Wendy had become wracked with crushing guilt, causing her to attempt to end her life on two separate occasions. Dipper, who had lost not only a girlfriend, but his twin sister, became cold and withdrawn as he struggled to make sense of the situation. Through the shared heartache, the twenty year old police officer and the distraught seventeen year old boy had found one another. A sudden and intense romance bloomed between the pair of friends and soon they began to sift through the ashes of a future that was burned before their very eyes. At Dipper's encouragement, his girlfriend had begun to seek help for her depression. While it was difficult to open up at first, it soon became therapeutic to release the pressure that she had placed on herself over the years. Dipper noticed the change in his auburn haired girlfriend, as she slowly returned to her easy going ways. He was just glad that the beautiful smile he had become infatuated with five years ago had reclaimed its rightful place on her freckled face.

Dipper had managed to learn that it was perfectly fine to share his feelings with others, instead of withdrawing from life. The brown haired teen was eased a bit by the fact that he had been visited by the ghost of his late girlfriend Pacifica two weeks after the tragedy. She instructed him to take care of Wendy, as the very fate of the future depended on it. Dipper was a bit confused by the somewhat cryptic message, but decided to heed her warning. The blonde teen also reassured her boyfriend that it was alright to move on from the past, and that while it upset them both that they could no longer be together, that the time they spent was meaningful and forever lasting. Dipper and Wendy had begun to go out and reconnect to the friends they both had pushed away in the aftermath of the tragic events of June 3rd. After a successful test run at a Fourth of July party hosted by Tambry, Wendy decided to throw her boyfriend an eighteenth birthday celebration. The redhead was unsure of how to go about planning the party, acknowledging that it wouldn't be a completely cheerful occasion with the absence of Mabel. After weeks of wracking her brain and preparing, the big day had arrived.

Wendy rolled over in her bed to find it missing her boyfriend Dipper. "Maybe he's in the shower…" the auburn haired woman thought to herself as she got out of the queen sized bed. Adorned in a pair of pink and black panties and a black tank top, the young woman walked down the hallway towards the bathroom. As she drew closer, she failed to hear the reassuring sound of the shower running, which caused her to panic a bit. Dipper had been his normal nerdy self the past few days, but just like her, she knew his anxiety and depression could return with a vengeance at any time. Making her way into the living room, the alabaster skinned twenty year old failed to catch sight of her lover. Out of the corner of her eye, a message hastily written on the dry erase board that decorated the refrigerator caught her attention. "Wendy, went out for a bit. I'll be back soon with breakfast. Love, Mason" the note simply read. A sigh of relief escaped her previously pursed lips as she leaned up against the kitchen counter; the cool linoleum causing a chill to run up her back. "He _would_ wake up early and get breakfast for us on _his_ birthday…" Wendy said to herself as she stepped away from the counter and walked back towards the bathroom, planning to get ready for her breakfast date.

The young officer slipped out of her clothes and turned on the water. While waiting for it to heat up, she stole a glance of herself in the mirror. Her slender and toned frame reflected back at her, as she took note of her still healing scar on her left forearm. The mark was still noticeable on her pale skin, and likely would be for the rest of her life; a reminder of her darkest and most desperate hour. A few minutes later, the redhead emerged from the shower, feeling cleansed and refreshed. After drying off, the young woman walked nude back to her bedroom, taking advantage of the fact that she was all alone. Wendy traveled to her dresser and opened the top drawer, revealing her intimates. Selecting a pair of navy blue panties and a matching bra, the freckled woman next made her way to the closet. She removed an outfit from the dark room and laid it on her bed. Pulling a maroon skirt with lace trim up her slender legs, she next reached for a white tank top, yanking it down over her toned body. A button up faded denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows completed the look. After doing her makeup and adding a little bit of jewelry, the redhead was ready to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday.

Right on cue, the apartment door opened and in burst the seventeen year old boy, with an armful of bags. The redhead rushed to help her boyfriend out. "You coulda called! I'd have come down and helped you out…" the scarlet haired woman said. "It's cool… I had it…" the brown haired teen reassured her. "That's why you were about to dump the food all over the floor…" Wendy sarcastically shot back. "Okay… Maybe I could have used a bit of help, but I wasn't sure if you were up yet and I didn't wanna wake you if you weren't" Dipper admitted. "While I appreciate the chivalry, if I wasn't up by now, you had every right to wake my ass up…" the redhead said. "Dually noted…" the teen boy deadpanned. "So… To what do I owe the honor of this breakfast?" Wendy inquired. "Well… I really couldn't sleep last night… So I went to wish Mabel an early happy birthday, and I figured while I was out and about…" the brown haired seventeen year old replied in a sullen tone.

The couple sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat their fast food breakfast. "Look… If you just wanna stay in today, that's cool… I totally get it…" Wendy said after swallowing a mouthful of her bacon, egg and cheese bagel. "Nah… I mean, you did go through a lot of work to plan this party for me and all…" Dipper said, declining her offer as he reached for his cup of coffee. "Wha!? How the hell did you know about that?! It was supposed to be a surprise…" the redhead said with a disappointed voice. "Remember… I have a keen sense of observation. I noticed that you were on your phone a lot the last few days and with my birthday coming up, it wasn't that difficult to put two and two together…" Dipper somewhat smugly explained to his deflated girlfriend. "Well… You suck dude! I get that you feel like you have to solve every mystery in this damn town, but sometimes you just gotta let things be…" the ginger woman said in an defeated voice. "Sorry… Not gonna happen…" Dipper said through a mouthful of food.

Just as Dipper was finishing his meal, his cell phone began to emit a guitar solo from a rock song, signaling to the teen that someone was calling him. The display read 'Mom & Dad' as the now eighteen year old unlocked the phone to answer. The brown haired teenager stood up from the kitchen table and walked away to converse with his parents. "Thanks Mom! Thanks Dad!" the redhead overheard her boyfriend replying. After a few minutes, the call ended and he walked back over to the kitchen table, where Wendy was finishing her second cup of coffee. "So, how'd that go?" the ginger woman asked. "Eh… You know… The usual off-key singing of happy birthday… The whole speech of how I was an adult now and that even though I was off and on my own in a whole other state, that I'm still their son… You know, that sort of stuff…" the blue and white ballcap adorned teen answered. "Gotta love parents…" Wendy said with a chuckle. "No doubt… I just hope they're okay today… You know, with Mabel and all…" the now legal adult said in a serious tone. Wendy wanted to say something, but had no idea of what to say.

After cleaning up breakfast, Wendy sat down on the dark leather couch in the living room, where she was soon joined by Dipper. The couple turned on the Portland Lumbers soccer match against their heated rivals Bay Area FC. While the auburn haired woman pulled for Portland, her boyfriend was a fan of the Bay Area squad, seeing as Piedmont was nearby and his family were avid followers of the team. The morning quickly flew by as the couple cheered their respective favorites on. After a thrilling match, in which Bay Area FC won in extra time, the pair got ready to head out to the Mystery Shack for the not so surprise party. After exiting the second floor apartment, Wendy and Dipper made their way down the long and narrow staircase into the vestibule. Dipper sat down on the bottom step to add his black and white skater shoes to his outfit, which consisted of a pair of jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a red flannel patterned long sleeve button up shirt.

Wendy unlocked the door to her green Fjord J-150 pickup truck and sat down on the bench seat, soon joined by her boyfriend. After a short drive, the pair arrived at the familiar wooden building, which was adorned with balloons and streamers. Dipper had barely exited the truck before becoming wrapped up in one of Soos' signature bear hugs. "Happy Birthday dude!" the large man exclaimed. Although he usually spent his days in a suit, today he was in a decidedly more relaxed attire of khaki shorts and his trademark Mystery Shack t-shirt. "Thanks!" Dipper coughed as he was placed back onto the dusty ground of the parking lot. A crowd gathered at the front of the building, each greeting the now eighteen year old man. While Dipper tried to put on a smile and celebrate his birthday, it was merely a façade. Inside the brown haired man a war was raging between grief and anger. The flannel clad teen was upset that he would have to celebrate not only this birthday, but every one going forward without his other half; his twin sister Mabel. The anger he felt stemmed from the fact that he saw the events that led to his sister's demise as needless and careless. "Why couldn't have Robbie just asked his parents for the money? They're the only morticians in town, and they'll never run out of customers, so surely they could have helped their son out…" the man with the blue and white ballcap tried to rationalize to himself.

Unknowingly, Dipper had wondered off from the gathering as he became lost in his thoughts. The teen came upon a clearing in the forest; one that was quite familiar to him. It was where he had professed his crush to Wendy that first summer. Where Pacifica and he had ended their first date. Where a few months ago, he and Wendy had begun to make out before a storm cut things short. The brown haired man sat down on the familiar log and began to weep. "Mabel… I-I miss you so fucking much sis… You've been gone for three months and it feels like three decades…" Dipper struggled to say between sobs. Wendy, curious to where the man of the hour had disappeared to, looked high and low. After searching every conceivable inch of the Mystery Shack, a thought came to the scarlet haired woman. "Of course!" she exclaimed to herself. The athletic young woman broke out in a sprint as she rushed into the forest, as branches scraped along her arms and legs. Seeing the familiar clearing in the distance, the redhead slowed her pace, not wanting to alarm her boyfriend. She watched as the teen sat on a fallen tree trunk and wept. The heart of the freckled woman broke as she saw her love in utter despair. While she had lost a mother and knew what the death of a family member felt like, she couldn't fathom what the loss of someone who was nearly identical to you in every way must feel like. "Poor Dip… I knew this was a bad idea…" she said to herself.

Using the skills her father had instilled in her as an outdoorsman, the ginger woman managed to walk up to her boyfriend undetected. Wendy sat down on the weathered log and wrapped her lover in an embrace as he continued to cry. Dipper immediately knew that it was Wendy who was comforting him. The twenty year old woman rubbed his back in a calming manner. "I-I'm sorry you had to see me like this…" the flannel clad teen apologized in a raspy voice. Wendy continued to comfort the upset teen, knowing that the best thing to do right now was to listen, instead of speaking. "I-I'm just not who I was three months ago… I don't know if I'll ever be again, to be honest. I-I just miss having her around…" the brown haired man said as he tried to fight the tears in his eyes. While he was learning to accept that he was allowed to show his emotions, the young man was still adapting to the concept. "I-I took her for granted Wendy… I thought that she'd always be there… I-If I could just have one more moment with her… I-I'd tell her how special she was to me… That I shouldn't have been annoyed by her… That I shouldn't have gotten angry at her so much… I-I was a bad brother to her…" Dipper said as his breathing intensified and the tears rained down from his eyes.

"Mason… You were not a horrible brother to her… Not at all…" Wendy said in a caring tone. "Y-You're just saying that… You didn't see how bad I was to her sometimes… I made her feel bad for being herself… I-I mean, yeah, she could be a little selfish at times… A-And a bit annoying… And a little immature… But that was just who she was… A-And I made her ashamed to be herself…" Dipper rebuffed. A frown formed over the redhead's face. She hated to see her boyfriend be so hard on himself. "Dipper… I've seen a lot more than you think I have… I saw all the times you were there for her… Like that time she tripped over a tree root in the woods your first week here and you carried her back to the Shack… Then you wrapped her ankle up, made her an ice pack for it, and even sat and watched 'Why You Ackin' So Cray Cray?' with her… even though I know that you abhor that show with every fiber of your being…" Wendy offered as evidence to prove her point. "A-And how about that time that she got dumped right in the middle of that huge Summerween party two years ago? Who was there to comfort her and left the party early because he wanted to make sure his sister got home safely? Oh yeah, that was you…" Wendy said as she looked into the almond colored eyes of her lover, trying to convince him of how wrong he was.

Dipper turned and hugged the redhead, thankful that she saw the good in him. "Dude… Siblings quarrel and bicker all the time… They sometimes even say or do mean things to one another… But they're still siblings, and they still care about each other. Mabel absolutely loved you… And I know you absolutely loved her… I also think that if she were here right now, she'd say the same thing… I think she'd tell you that she gets why you're down, but that you should remember all the great times you had growing up together. I think she'd tell you to go have a great time at the party, and to have fun for her too…" Wendy said in a reassuring tone. "You know what?... You're right… It sucks that she's not here right now, but she'd want me to go have fun… Just like I would if I was killed and she was still alive" the brown haired teen said as he rose to his feet, sniffling a bit. Let's get back to the party… I'm sure everyone is wondering where we are..." Dipper explained. "Yeah… They either think something bad happened… Or that we snuck off to bang or somethin'…" the freckled woman said with a chuckle. "Yeah…" the eighteen year old said as a slight blush came over his cheeks. The pair grasped one another's hand and made the short trek back towards the Mystery Shack as the party began to get started.

Author's note: So, this will be a two parter… I had a lot of good ideas and wanted to fit them all into the story. This is a very busy time of the year for me, so sorry the updates are taking so long…

My playlist while writing this chapter:

Panic! At The Disco – "Victorious"

James Arthur – "Say You Won't Let Go"

The Decemberists – "We Both Go Down Together"

Jens Lekman – "Evening Prayer"

LCD Soundsystem – "Call The Police"

Nothing More – "Jenny"

Band Of Horses – "The Funeral"

M83 – "Graveyard Girl"

Courtney Barnett – "Avant Gardener"

Sir Sly – "High"

Phantogram – "You Don't Get Me High Anymore"

The Kooks – "Be Who You Are"

Middle Kids – "Never Start"

Grouplove – "Good Morning"


	2. Chapter 2

What Has Been & Shall Never Be Again: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Part Two

Wendy and Dipper emerged from the forest to find their friends already starting the party without them. "Oh… There you guys are!" a petite raven haired woman exclaimed in a slightly slurred voice as she walked up to them. The couple had become concerned for the Korean-American teen girl ever since the Fourth of July party, where they witnessed her consume an entire bottle of vodka in short order, followed by countless shots of various other liquors. Candy was a shy girl, who had a few odd quarks, but was usually more comfortable with being in the background. That had drastically changed in the past few months and both Dipper and Wendy noticed that something wasn't quite right with their good friend. "Hey Candy!" Wendy replied as she placed a hand on the shoulder of the much shorter woman. "I was wondering where you guys went… I thought that you probably snuck off for a quickie… I-I was right, wasn't I?" the young woman, who was adorned in a pair of jeggings and a black t-shirt inquired. "Nah… Dipper just went for a walk to clear his head… And I went to join him…" Wendy quickly retorted.

"H-Have you been drinking?" asked Dipper in a concerned voice. " _No_ … Well… _Okay_ … Maybe a _little_ … I'm cool though…" Candy tried to explain. "Girl, we need to talk…" Wendy said to the raven haired seventeen year old. The trio walked over to a table that was set up near the side of the Mystery Shack. Sitting down on the cool metal of the folding chairs, Wendy took a deep breath. The usually confident redhead was unsure of how to go about telling a good friend that they may have a problem. She didn't want to come off as preachy or hypocritical; aware of the fact that she had dealt with the loss of the two teenage girls in a less than healthy manner herself. "Candy… Are you alright?" Wendy asked in a soft and caring voice. "I-I already told you… I'm good…" the petite teen said with a somewhat annoyed tone. "I don't mean right now… I mean, you know, since everything that happened… I mean… You guys were pretty close…" the auburn haired woman explained. The raven haired teen girl looked around and rubbed her arm in a nervous manner. Maybe it was the vodka flowing through her system, but she was feeling highly uncomfortable. For a fleeting moment, Candy felt anger surge through her. "She's judging me, isn't she?" she thought to herself. "Who the fuck does she think she is? She tried to kill herself… I-I'm just having a good time… It feels good when I drink… She's just being a bitch…" she continued in her internal monologue.

Wendy and Dipper sat across the table from the petite teen girl as she took a few moments to answer the redhead's question. "I-I mean… Yeah… I miss Mabel and Pacifica a lot… I still can't believe they're gone…" the raven haired woman said as she took a slow sip from her red plastic cup, which Dipper and Wendy suspected contained alcohol of some kind. "I-It's just that we're worried about how much you've been drinking this summer… And I know I'm one to talk, but I just think tha-" the redhead began to say before being cut off. "I'll do whatever the fuck I wanna do! Who the _fuck_ do you think you are? Yeah… Maybe I drink a little too much sometimes… But ya know what?! It feels good and helps me forget about things for a little bit… So you can just fuck off… Both of you!" Candy exploded as she shot up from the table and ran off. Dipper and Wendy looked at each other, both hoping the other had some sort of idea of what to do. "This is my mess… I'll clean it up…" Wendy said as she got up from the table and started off in pursuit of the black haired woman, leaving the eighteen year old sitting alone at the table.

Wendy managed to find Candy sitting on the front steps of the Mystery Shack, her head in her hands as she wept. Once again the scarlet haired officer used her outdoorsman skills to stealthily sit next to her friend. "I-I'm sorry if I came across as judgmental…" Wendy said apprehensively as she placed her hand on the upper back of the Korean-American girl. "Dip and I just care about you is all… In fact, a lot of people do…" the freckled woman tried to reassure the still crying teen. "I-It just hurts so much… So damn much…" Candy said between breaths as she began to hyperventilate. "I… Just… Want… Them… Back…" the raven haired woman said as she exploded in emotion once again. Wendy continued to rub the back of the upset teenager as she struggled to come up with something to say. She had hung out with Candy from time to time, but never had a one on one interaction with her before. "C'mon Ice Bag! You can help her… You just have to think…" the redhead thought to herself. "D-Do you want me to get Grenda? You two are besties… I'm sure she can tell you how she's dealing with Mabel and Pacifica not being with us…" the freckled woman offered to the petite teen girl. "No! I-I… We haven't been talking much lately… She… She said that I was a mess and needed to get some help… I-I told her what I thought about that… A-And we haven't really talked since then… I-I'm pretty sure she hates me…" Candy said as she once again began to cry. "First of all… She was only saying that because she cares about you… And I'm, like, pretty sure she could never hate you dude…" the alabaster skinned woman commented. "Y-You think so?!" the raven haired teen asked with a hint of hope in her voice. "Trust me… As someone who's had it out with their bestie on multiple occasions… I can say with confidence that no matter what, I never hated her… I just was super pissed at her… And sometimes she was super pissed at me… But in the end, when push came to shove, we still cared about each other and made up…." Wendy reassured the upset teenager.

"M-Maybe you and her are right… Maybe I need to chill it with the drinking a bit…" Candy observed in a moment of self-awareness. "Yeah… We don't mean it in any sort of bad way… We just care about you is all…" Wendy explained. "C-Can you see if Grenda wants to talk… I have a lot of apologizing to do…" the black haired woman remarked with a tone of sadness in her voice. "Of course… I'll go get her…" the twenty year old offered as she stood up from the well-worn wooden steps of the Mystery Shack. As the ginger woman walked away, Candy called out to her once again. "Hey Wendy!... Thanks!" the now calm woman bellowed. "No biggie…" the redhead replied. After making her way around the corner of the building, the young woman spotted Grenda, who was deep in conversation with Thompson. Judging by the expressive manner in which she was moving her arms, Wendy deduced that she was talking about her CrossFit exploits. Waiting for a natural pause in the conversation, the slender woman walked up to the two. "Hey Grenda… Can we talk?" she asked the taller and more muscular teenager. "Yeah, sure!" Grenda excitedly said in her deep voice. Wendy led the brunette teen girl towards the front of the Mystery Shack. Grenda, who was dressed in a pair of black leggings and a pink t-shirt, which had the phrase 'Thick Thighs x Thin Patience' emblazoned on it, followed her friend. Rounding the corner of the building, it became apparent to the athletic teen what was afoot. "Oh hell no Wendy!... I'm not talking to her until she apologizes to me for what she said…" the statuesque teen declared.

"Grenda… I-I'm so sorry…" Candy meekly said as she looked up from the palms of her hands; her makeup stained by tears. "You were just telling me what I didn't wanna hear… From you, or anyone else…" the raven haired teen explained to her best friend. "I-I just miss them so much… And this… This crap… It made me feel better… But I can't just drink my feelings away…" Candy continued as she poured out her red plastic cup. Grenda had been expecting a shouting match with the Korean girl, but instead was met with a refreshing sense of humility. "It's alright Candy… I-I should have been more understanding about the whole thing… I-I miss them too… We all do…" the deep voiced woman said to her bestie. Candy shot up from the steps she had been seated on and rushed towards her best friend. The two embraced as Wendy looked on, proud of the fact that she could lend a hand in the mending of a friendship.

As Wendy left the pair of friends, thoughts raced through Grenda's head. Should she choose this moment to reveal a deep and dark secret to her best friend? Candy was still drunk, so the brunette wasn't sure if it was wise to do so. Instead, Grenda decided to keep her big news to herself, figuring that the birthday of their late friend was a poor time to reveal such a shocking truth. "I'm sorry Grenda… You're such a good friend…" Candy whispered as she embraced her bestie. "It's alright…" the brunette replied as tears streamed down her face. "Here… Have some of my water… You could use it…" Grenda offered. "I'm that bad, huh?" Candy whispered with embarrassment. "Honestly… You're a little wasted… And you smell like a vodka factory…" the brunette said with a laugh. "Well… I guess I should pound this water and probably go get something to eat… Wanna come with?" the black haired woman asked. "Of course I do… Bestie…" Grenda answered as the pair walked back towards the party.

Dipper sat at the table, checking his Chirper feed as he awaited his girlfriend's return. Distracted by his phone, he failed to notice that she was back. A light tap on his shoulder caused him to look up from the screen to see the auburn haired woman taking a seat at the table. "So… How'd it go?" the birthday boy asked. "I-I think I may have gotten through to her… She told me that she just wanted to forget about what happened and drinking helped her to do so…" the twenty year old girl explained to her boyfriend. "Well… I'm glad you were able to hopefully get through to her…" Dipper said as a smile broke across his face. "Yeah… I think once she talked to Grenda about it too, she realized that it was hurting her friendships and her body… Did you know they weren't talking to each other?" Wendy inquired. "I had no idea… Those two are inseparable… Wonder what Candy said or did to cause that?" Dipper questioned. "No idea dude… But all is right with the universe now…" the alabaster skinned woman said as she pointed to the pair of friends standing at the snack table.

The afternoon came to a close as Dipper made his way to the front of the gathering. Picking up a microphone off the top of a speaker, the man of the hour cleared his voice. "I-I just wanted to thank you all for coming out today… It means a lot to me… I really wish that Mabel were here to celebrate with us… But… But…" the teen trailed off as he desperately struggled to keep it together. The last thing the now eighteen year old wanted to do was break down in front his friends and family. "I'm sorry… But, she's in a better place. A place where she can knit to her heart's content and where any sticker she ever wanted is hers for the taking. She was too good for this world… But I think I can speak for each and every person here when I say that I was lucky enough to have known her. Mabel wouldn't have wanted us to be sad today… She would have wanted us to have a lot of fun by having one hell of a party… So I say, let's do that… DJ Soos, hit my music!" the teen exclaimed as he pointed towards the DJ booth the larger man was currently stationed at. After shooting a thumbs up to his good friend, Soos started the karaoke track that the teen had selected the before the party. BABBA's "Disco Girl" blared from the large speakers as the birthday boy began to sing. Not caring what anyone thought about him, the teenager sang with all his might as he let go and lost himself in the song. After a few minutes, the seventies tune came to an end. "That was for you sis!" Dipper said as he pointed to the blue sky above. The teen made his way off the stage, to the cheers of his friends and family. The flannel clad teen was drenched in sweat as he practically collapsed into the metal folding chair beside Wendy. "She would have loved that…" the redhead said in an adoring voice as she wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.

Next up to the stage was Manly Dan Corduroy, much to the surprise of the party goers. "I-I didn't know Mabel Pines too well… But we did have something in common, believe it or not… This is for you kiddo…" the burly lumberjack said as the music started. The gruff voice of the flannel clad man tried to belt out a Sev'ral Timez song, which he knew all too well. Wendy, who normally would have sunk down in her seat from embarrassment, cheered her father on. After a few minutes, the song ended and the crowd erupted in applause. Dipper stood up and nodded his approval to the father of his girlfriend, which was met with one from him as well in a show of mutual respect. Wendy pushed back her chair and drew a deep breath before standing up and making her way over to the DJ booth. After choosing her song, the scarlet haired woman walked up on stage and picked up the microphone with her sweat drenched hands. The music started and Dipper immediately knew the song. It was 'T8king Over Midnight' by &NDRA, the song that he, Stan and Mabel had sung in a perfect three part harmony to defeat the zombies that the then twelve year old had risen from the dead in an attempt to prove that Gravity Falls was full of supernatural occurrences to a pair of government agents.

Wendy's hand trembled as she held the microphone up to her mouth. Once again drawing a deep breath, the twenty year old closed her eyes as she began to sing. Dipper, as well as the crowd, was taken aback by the beautiful voice that came out of the ginger woman. While he had heard some of it on the car rides they shared, the young man was unaware of just how good a singer his girlfriend was. Wendy opened her eyes to see her friends and family smiling and tapping their feet to the music, instilling confidence in her to continue. The song ended and the crowd erupted into cheers for the redhead. "Happy Birthday Mabel! I love you!" the freckled woman said as she kissed her hand and held it towards the sky. Walking off the stage, Wendy was greeted by Dipper, Tambry, Nate, Lee, Thompson, Alexa, Candy, and Grenda. "Holy shit girl! That was amazing!" Tambry shouted to her best friend. "Yeah, who knew you had that in ya?" Nate added. "Thanks…" a suddenly shy Wendy replied. "Now _that_ she would have loved…" Dipper said to his girlfriend as he planted a kiss on her lips, causing her already apparent blush to darken in color.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with both good and bad renditions of songs; all dedicated to the late teen girl on what would have been her eighteenth birthday. As the sun set, Wendy led Dipper back onto the stage to end the party. The redhead had an idea as she sat the teen boy down next to a pile of presents. Grasping the microphone once again, the young woman was about to speak, when she was interrupted. "Encore!" Nate yelled from the side of the crowd in a slightly drunk voice. "Th-Thanks… But this isn't about me right now… As we end tonight's festivities, I'd like to make an announcement. I-I think that we should meet back here in one year's time and celebrate the Pines twin's birthday again, this time with the first official Mabel Ariel Pines Memorial Karaoke Contest. How's everyone like the thought of that?" the scarlet haired woman asked the crowd. She was met with cheers, which to her, implied that the town was on board. "Cool… Now let's see what Dip got…" she said as the brown haired teen began to unwrap presents. His friends and family had gifted him with everything from gift cards to video games. After opening the last box, the teenager was about to grab the microphone to thank everyone for coming out and officially bring the party to a close, when a delivery man in brown shorts and a matching button up shirt stepped onto the stage. "Dipper Pines?" the man inquired. "Yeah?" the teen replied. "This package is for you…" the man announced. Dipper grabbed the large box from the deliveryman and placed it on the ground next to his chair. "Sign here…" the man instructed as he placed an electronic device in front of the teenager. After quickly signing for the package, he returned the device to the man, who promptly made his way off the stage before disappearing into the crowd.

The teen looked over to his girlfriend with a puzzled look on his face. Wendy shrugged, not sure of who sent the unmarked brown box. Dipper lifted the package onto his lap and began to open it. Taking the cardboard lid off the top, an eruption of confetti flew out of the container, almost causing the brown haired teen to fall out of his chair. After taking a moment to recollect himself, he reached into the parcel and removed a rectangular shaped item which was wrapped in plain brown paper. Again, he looked to Wendy, who had an unsure look on her face. Tearing the paper, a navy blue book appeared to him. It was emblazoned with reflective silver pine tree, as well as a black number one. Removing the rest of the wrapping, it became apparent that it was a journal. Flipping open the front cover, a folded piece of lined notebook paper fell out. Leaning forward to retrieve it, Wendy was able to make out what was in the package. It was a new journal. "It couldn't be from?... Nah?... Well… Maybe?" the redhead thought to herself. Dipper unfolded the piece of paper to reveal a note scrawled in familiar handwriting. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as it became apparent the package was from Mabel. "Hey Bro-Bro!" the note, which was written in pink, began. "Happy Birthday to the best brother a sister could ever hope for! You'll need this for your next adventure! Good luck! Love you always, Mabel" the note read. His eyes filled with tears as he placed the journal down onto the wooden stage.

Reaching back into the box, a second rectangular item emerged. It was the same size and shape of the first gift; likely another journal. He was about to place it on top of the first one when he spied something written on it in pink marker. "For Wendy" it simply stated. Dipper turned to his girlfriend and motioned for her to come over. He handed the paper wrapped gift to the auburn haired woman as a look of disbelief came across her face. "No fucking way dude…" she commented to the seated birthday boy. "Open it…" Dipper instructed her. Wendy ripped the paper off the gift, to reveal a matching blue journal. This one was different, however. Whereas the first book was adorned with a silver pine tree, this one was decorated with a silver image of a bag of ice and a number one in purple. She held the journal so her boyfriend could see. A note tumbled out of the book and landed on the stage. Like Dipper's, it was written in sparkly pink gel; a hallmark of Mabel Pines. Unfolding the piece of lined paper, she began to read as her mouth went agape with shock. "Wendy, I know it's Dipper and my birthday and we should be the ones getting gifts, but this is for you. Adventure awaits! Remember, fortune always favors the bold. Take care of Mason for me. I love you!, Mabel" the message read. The emerald eyes of Wendy Corduroy began to fill with tears as she clutched the gift from the departed teen girl.

Dipper once again reached into the box and removed a blue sweater, which was adorned with his trademark pine tree in white. The brown haired boy was about to place the box down on the stage, when he heard one last item rattling around inside of it. Taking the small black box out of the parcel, he flipped it open to reveal a bronze necklace, which contained the Cipher zodiac, as well as six small charms. The teen immediately recognized four of them as a pine tree, shooting star, ice bag, and llama. The other two were a bit of a mystery to him. One charm took the form of a flame, while the other was shaped like an axe. He placed the necklace around his neck, making a silent vow to never remove it. Wendy picked up the microphone, unsure of how to explain that Dipper had just received a gift from Mabel, despite the fact that she had passed away nearly three months ago. "So… That was a gift from Mabel… She must have planned it before everything happened… Thank you all for showing up!" she said as the crowd stood up and began to leave the party. "I can't believe it… There's no way she planned this out…" Dipper said as he tried to make sense of the situation. "Yeah… This is kinda freaky… I-I guess ghosts can send packages?" Wendy said with a quizzical tone to her voice. "Ha! I guess so!" the brown haired teen chuckled as he removed his flannel shirt and pulled on the blue sweater his sister had made for him. It fit perfect, which he wasn't the least bit surprised about. Mabel took great pride in being able to judge someone's sweater size. "Check out this necklace she got me…" Dipper asked as he pulled it from beneath the wool sweater and held it out for her to see. "Wow! It's beautiful…" the redhead commented. "Look at the charms Wen… There are six of them, but I can only figure out four of them… Also, I looked at the Zodiac and a bunch of the symbols are different…" the teen explained. "Let's see here… The pine tree is you… The shooting star is Mabel… The llama is Pacifica… and the ice bag is me… I-I don't know what these other two are… A flame and an axe… A flame and an axe… I-I don't know dude…" the young woman replied. I-I'll have to do some research…" Dipper said as he placed it back beneath the sweater.

"Happy Birthday babe…" Wendy said as she planted her lips on her boyfriend's. "Thanks Wendy…" Dipper replied as the two held each other's hand and began to walk towards the green pickup truck. What had started out as a day of dread for the brown haired teen ended in a sense of relief and happiness. The couple was nearly home, when Dipper turned to face his girlfriend. "Wendy… Can we make a quick stop?" asked the brown haired teen. "Sure… Where'd you wanna go?" the redhead inquired, already pretty sure of his answer. "I wanna say goodnight to Mabel…" Dipper replied. "Of course…" the young woman said as she began to turn the truck around. The faded headlights cast yellow light into the dark night as the couple made their way to Gravity Falls Cemetery. Wendy parked the truck and reached behind her seat to grab a flashlight. Wendy and Dipper made their way up the steep hill towards the final resting place of the young woman. The bright white light reflected off of a pink stone marker, indicating that they had reached their destination. The pair took a seat on the cool ground next to the tombstone. Wendy took note of the bouquet of flowers that Dipper had left earlier that day. The sweater clad teen placed his hand on the cold stone and began to speak. "Hey Mabel… I-I just wanted to thank you for the awesome birthday gifts… I hope you had fun today too…" Dipper started. The couple spent the next few hours talking to the teen girl. Meanwhile, a single shooting star streaked across the otherwise clear late summer's night sky that hung above Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Author's Note: So, this was a bit of a rollercoaster. I really debated making this a three-parter, but in the end, decided against it. What is Grenda's big secret? Will Candy stop drinking excessively, or is it just a front to placate her friends and get them off her back? What do the new symbols on the Cipher Zodiac mean? Stay tuned for the next installment of the "Shooting Star Falls" story…

My playlist while I was writing this chapter:

Thousand Foot Crutch – "Untraveled Road"

Bishop Briggs – "The Way I Do"

Korn – "Narcissistic Cannibal"

Halsey – "Now Or Never"

Taylor Swift/ Ed Sheeran – "Everything Has Changed"

Linkin Park/ Kiiara – "Heavy"

The Naked And Famous – "Higher"

CHVRCHES /Haley Williams – "Bury It"

Speedy Ortiz – "Hitch"

M83/Mai Lan – "Go!"

MS MR – "Painted"

Ron Gallo – "Young Woman, You're Scaring Me"

Minus The Bear – "Last Kiss"

Declan McKenna – "The Kids Don't Wanna Come Home"

Modest Mouse – "Float On"


End file.
